Wallaby trio cleared for SA tour
Injured trio Stephen Moore, Sitaleki Timani and Dominic Shipperley were passed fit Wednesday to travel with the Wallabies squad to South Africa and Argentina for Rugby Championship matches.
Shipperley, who underwent a operation on the middle finger of his right hand on Sunday after injuring it in the Test against Argentina on the Gold Coast last Saturday, will travel with the squad.
Australian officials said they were expected to be available for the clash with the Springboks in Pretoria on September 29.
But flyhalf Quade Cooper is missing after being ruled out of the remainder of the southern hemisphere championship with damage to his recently reconstructed knee.
Cooper had surgery to the knee after a season-ending injury at last year's World Cup and the Wallabies said he needed a further operation to clean it out.
Waratahs prop Paddy Ryan and Western Force wing Nick Cummins were the only uncapped players named in Robbie Deans' 28-man squad, which departs Thursday.
Three players who won't travel on Wednesday are centre Ben Tapuai, inside centre Mike Harris and second row forward Rob Simmons – who have been released to participate in Sunday's Brisbane club final between University and Sunnybank.
Once through that match, the trio will join the squad in Johannesburg next Tuesday.
The Wallabies will be bidding for back-to-back wins on the South African Highveld, having clinched an epic 41-39 victory at Bloemfontein in 2010 – their first win at altitude in the country for 47 years.
They wrap up their Rugby Championship campaign with a game against Argentina the following week in Rosario.
Australia are second in the four-nation tournament behind unbeaten New Zealand. South Africa are third with Argentina last.
Australian squad: Adam Ashley-Cooper, Kurtley Beale, Digby Ioane, Dominic Shipperley, Nick Cummins, Ben Tapuai, Anthony Fainga'a, Pat McCabe, Berrick Barnes, Mike Harris, Nick Phipps, Brett Sheehan, Scott Higginbotham, Radike Samo, Michael Hooper, Liam Gill, Dave Dennis, Rob Simmons, Nathan Sharpe, Kane Douglas, Sitaleki Timani, Ben Alexander, Paddy Ryan, James Slipper, Benn Robinson, Saia Fainga'a, Stephen Moore, Tatafu Polota-Nau.
